Flying-machine.



B. B. STUBBLEFIELD. FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 19,1912. 7

Patented Dec. 10, 1912.-

anucnfo'o B. B. STUBBLBPIELD. FLYING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JAN.19,1912.

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Witmeooe'o B. B. STUBBLEFIELD'.

FLYING MACHINE.

Patented Dec. 10, 191'2.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 19, 1912.

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B. B. STUBBLEFIELD. FLYING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 19, 1912Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

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q/viiumo BERNARD B. S TUBBLEFIELID, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

f FLYING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. 'Patented Dec; 10, 1912,

. Application filed ianuai-y s, 1912. Serial No. 672,062.

To all whom itmay concept: Y Beit known that I, BitizNAnn B. STUBBLE-FIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nashville, inthecounty ofDavidsen and State of Tennessee, have invented iiew and usefulImprovements in Flying-Machines, of which. the following is a secification.

This invention relates to ying machines of the heavier-thamair type, themain object of the invention being to provide a machine which is adaptedto rise directly from the ground and to descend in a substantiallystraight path without the usual gliding action, and'which is furtheradapted to be supported in a substantially stationary position above anygiven point, so that observations of the surface below may be readilyand conveniently made.

A further object of the invention is to, provide a novel constructionand arrangement of motors and ropelling and steering gear, whereby saety in the operation of the machine is secured, and the machine isadapted to be balanced and controlled in a ready and eflicient manner.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination andarrangement of parts, hereinafter rnore fully described' and claimed,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Flgure 1 is aside elevation of a fly ng machine constructed in accordance with myinvention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectionalplan view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1'. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinalsection on the line 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a vertical transversesection on the'line 55 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a detail section on the line66 of Fig. 4.

The frame of the machine may be of any preferred type, but is shown inthe form of a substantially. oblong rectangular car or platform 1,mounted at its four corners upon launching and landing wheels 2, whichmay be constructed and mounted in any suitable manner. Rising from theplatform are suitable uprights 3, carrying, a supporting plane orsurface 4, reinforced from the said car or platform by suitable stays.5, the construction being such as to secure the requisite strength,durability and rigidity. 7 The supporting lane or surface 4 is of thesame general orm as the car or platform 1, but of preferably eaterdimensions, so as to provide a sustaining surface ofproper area.

This supporting plane or surface comprises a suitable frame'liaving acovering of any desired fabric. Formed in the plane adjacent itsrespective corners are openings 6, and arranged within these respectiveopen- 1ngs are series of propelling, steering and stabilizing vanes orsmall planes 7. In the present instance, I have shown four vanes orsmall planes in each series, each of which extends at right angles tothe line of flight and smounted to tilt vertically. on a shaft thesupporting plane or surface 4.

The ,IIIIIBI ends of the shafts 8 of each ser1es of vanes 7 carry doublegrooved pulleys 9, which ,pulleys are connected for movement in unisonby cables 10, said cables being connected with the pulleys in suchmanner 'as to adapt the vanes 7 to move simultaneously in the samedirection within an arc of 90, more or less, so that the vanes Y or axis8 journaled in the frame structure of I may be turned from a horizontalto a sub;-

being hollow to receive the shaft 16 whichextends therethrough. Theshafts 15 and 16 of the controlling devices on opposite sides' of thelongitudinal center of the machine are provided with operating handlesor levers 17 and 18, arranged in juxtaposition to the aviators seat 19,which is preferably supported upon the radiator 20, but may be locatedbehind the radiator or insuch relation to the motors as to provide forthe proper balancing of the machine. The lever 17 is provided with aspring actuated pawl or dog 21 to engage and interlock with a rack 22 onthe adjacent standard 3, while the lever 18 is provided with a similarpawl or dog 23 to interlock with a rack 24 on the lever 17. It will beobserved that the two sets of levers, controlling the fore and aftseries of vanes 7 on opposite sides of the longitudinal center'of themachine, are arranged at opposite sides of the aviators seat, in aconvenient position to be simultaneously or independently operated bythe hands of that the vanes at either .the right or left ,hand side ofthe machine may be independently adjusted, or adjusted in unison, andthat the vanes on both sides of the machine may be operated inconjunction for the adjustment of all the vanes in the same direction'orsome of the vanes in one direction and others in the reverse directionat will. In practice, the said vanes 7 normally lie. at an angle of 20more or less to the line of flight within the openings 6 and form a partof the supporting plane or surface 5, and it will be understood that bytilting to a reater angle of incidence either the two ront sets of vanesin advance of the transverse center of the machine, or the two followingsets of vanes in rear of the'transr.

verse center of the machine, the machine may be balanced in a fore andaft direction or steered either upward or downward, and that, on theother hand, by adjusting the vanes on opposite sides of the lon 'tudinalcenter of the machine in opposite irections the machine may be'steeredto the right or left or balanced to maintain its lateral equilibrium. Bythe described normalarrangement of the vanes beneath the propellers 31the air impelled downward by the pro peller blades passes through thespaces between the vanes and exerts pressure on the rear inclinedsurfaces of the blades to impart a forwardpushin'g or propelling fi'ect.

Arranged at a suitable po1'nt upon the car or platform 1, preferably inadvance of the radiator and aviators seat, is a pair of motors 2% and26, arranged at an angle 'or'in V formation. The shafts 27 and 28 ofthese motors extend in front and rear thereof and diagonally orobliquely to the line of flight o the machine, said shafts thus beingarranged in crossing relation and having their en s terminatingrespectively beneath the centers 'of the openings (3 and provided withbeveled gears 28 The gears 28 mesh with corresponding gears 29 on thelower ends of vertical. transmission shafts 30, suitably journaled onthe frame and main plane and preferably extending at their upper endsthrough the openings 6 above the sets of vanes 7. Upon the upper endsofthe shafts 30 are mounted lifting and sustaining propellers 31, whichare thus arranged to rotate above the respective sets of vanes 7.Theshafts 27 and '28 revolve in opposite directions, and it will be seenthat by the described arran ement of the gearin the forward prope erdriven by each s aft is arranged above the front set of vanes at oneside of the machine, while the other ropeller driven by said shaft isarranged a ove the rear set of vanes at the $10 posite side of themachine. The respecjtive' sets of front and rear propellers are 5 "thusdisposed to revolve in opposite d1rec-.

tions so that the side thrustof each will be counteracted by the other.It will thus be seen that if the motor of one power series or either ofthe propellers thereof should become inoperative from any cause, thepropellers of'the other series will serve to sustain the machine, and bytheir described arrangement, in which the propellers of each series havea counteracting ivorking thrust, will maintain the machine in a straightcourse and prevent lateral deflection thereof.

As before described, the aviators seat IQ is preferably mounted upon orin rear of the radiator '20, which is disposed in ad-.

vance of the fuel supply tank 32 and in rear of the motors, so as toreduce the liability of an explosion or conflagration from overheatingof the tank or in the event of fuel leakage. Preferably a drivingpropeller 33 is employed for direct forward propulsion, and thispropeller may be arranged at either the front or rear of the machine. Inthe present instance I have shown said propeller arranged at the rear ofthe machine and driven m any suitable manner from a motor 34, but it maybe drlven from the motors 25 and 26 through suitable'clutch-, controlledgearing or' suitable direct clutch connections. While the vanes may beemployed to steer the machine horlzontally, I may (provide a series ofpivoted laterally swinging vertical rudders or steermg planes 35,located beneath the openings 6 and sets of steering and stabilizingvanes in order to lie within the zone of the air deflected downwardtherefrom, in order that said rudders may act uponcondensed orcompressed air to .increase their thrust efliciency. These rudders 35may be-operated in any preferred manner. In the present instance I' haveshown their shafts or axes provided with sprocket pinions 36, thepinions'of the rudders at each side of the longitudinalcenter -of themachine bein connected by a chain 37 the stretches of w ich are inengagement at an-intermediate point with a pinion 38 on a verticaltransmission shaft 39, which also carries a sprocket wheel or pinion 40.

The sprockefiwheelsfor pinions 40 of the gearing of each longitudinalset of vanes are connected by a transverse chain 41, the

stretches of which engage a s rocket wheel or pinion 42 on a control sha43 arran ed adjacent the -aviators seat and 'provl ed with asteering orcontrolling wheel 44.

Through this system of gearing the vanes of each set may besimultaneously turned in the same direction and the two sets of vanessimultaneously turned in opposite directions will, as will be readilyunderstood.

From the foregoing description, the construction and mode of o eratlonof my improved flying machine will be readily understood, and it will beseen that the invention to steer the machine to the right or left atprovides a machine which is adapted to ascend directly from the ound, todescend with an desired speed y regulating the speed 0 the propellers'31, and to be sustained so as to hover in the air over any given pointfor making observations, etc. It will, of course, be apparent that thealtitude of the machine may be controlled by the propellers 31, and thatwhen the desired alt-itude is reached the speed of said propellers maybe reduced simply to sustentation speed, so that the machine mzdy bedriven forward in a strai ht horizontal line by the propeller v 33 incon unction with the vanes 7 when said vanes are set at the proper anglefor forward propulsive efiect.

It is evident that the arrangement of the I propellers -31 causesincreased safety, while the vanes 7 permit effective longitudinal andlateral control and that, in the event of the complete stoppa e of themotive power, the vanes may be adjusted so that the supporting surfacewill perform the function of a1 parachute, allowing a safe landing to bema e.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is:

1. A flying machine embodying a frame,

a supporting surface provided 'with openings at or near the cornersthereof, sets of vertically tilting vanes mounted in said openings,connections between the vanes of each set for operating the same inunison, and sets of controlling devices for operating the fore and aftsets of .vanes on each side of the longitudinal center of the ma chineindependently or in unison.

2. A H ing machine embodying a supporting ame, a supporting sur aceprovided with openings at or near the four corners thereof, sets ofvertically tilting vanes arranged within the respective openings,connections between the vanes of each set to adapt them to tilt inunison, concentrically journaled shafts at each side of the longitudinalcenter of the frame, and operating connections between said shafts andthe corresponding side of the machine, controllin devices connected withsaid shafts, an

a supporting surface carried thereby and provided with openings at ornear its four corners, sets-of vertically tilting vanes arranged withinthe said openings, means for controlling said vanes, direction ruddersmounted below the respective sets of vanes, and means for simultaneouslyoperating said rudders.

4. A flying machine embodying a supporting frame, a supporting surfaceearned by the frame and provided with openings at or near its fourcorners, sets of vertically tilting vanes movable within said openings,means for adjusting said vanes, front and rear pairs of oppositelyrotating propellers disposed above the sets of vanes, means for drivingsaid propellers, direction rudders dis osed below the vanes, and meansfor adjusting said rudders in unison.

5. A flying machine including a supporting frame, a supporting surfaceprovided with o enin at or near the four corners thereo vertical shaftsextending upwardly through and above said openings, propellers mountedupon the upper ends of said shafts,

sets of vertically tilting vanes arranged within'the respectiveopenings, means for tilting the vanes of each set in unison, a

pair of motors arranged below the support.

mg surface in V-relation, the shafts of said motors being diagonallyarranged, gearing between the respective motor shafts and the respectivevertical propeller shafts, whereby the front propeller of each pair iscoupled to the-rear propeller of the other pair, and

machine independently of the tilting vanes at the opposite side of thelongitudinal cen ter thereof.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

, BERNARD B STUBBLEFIELD. Witnesses: A. C. Fnnmss,

Loms FELDMAN.

means for .ad'usting the tilting vanes on Y each side of t elongitudinal center of the

